Operation Sindoor: Rajnath Singh slams Trump claim, Pakistan’s failure as Opposition questions terror entry

“In any exam, results matter—not whether the pencil broke or the pen was lost. Ultimately, results matter,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared in Parliament on Monday, mounting a strong defence of Operation Sindoor. But his speech drew sharp criticism from the Opposition, with Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi questioning the government's failure to prevent the Pahalgam terror attack.

“Defence Minister forgot to mention how the terrorists entered Baisaran in Pahalgam, in the first place. How did the terrorists enter and kill 26 innocent civilians?” Gogoi asked. He accused the Modi government of arrogance and evasion, saying, “This government is arrogant… yeh sarkaar buzdil hai. They blamed the Pahalgam attack on tour operators.”

The Defence Minister asserted that Pakistan failed to inflict any damage on India’s war assets and dismissed as baseless US President Donald Trump’s claims of contributing to a ceasefire. He clarified that India halted the operation only after its political and military objectives had been fully achieved.


However, Gogoi questioned how militants managed to infiltrate a heavily monitored tourist zone. “Defence Minister forgot to mention how the terrorists entered Baisaran in Pahalgam, in the first place. How did the terrorists enter and kill 26 innocent civilians?” he asked.

'Op Sindoor launched to eliminate the terror nurseries'

In the Lok Sabha, Singh clarified that "crossing the border or capturing territory was not the objective of Operation Sindoor." He said the operation was launched solely to "eliminate the terror nurseries that Pakistan had nurtured for many years."

Singh said that on the nights of May 6 and 7, the Indian Army launched 'Operation Sindoor' to neutralise terror outfits in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. He added that immediately after the April 22 attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met India's defence chiefs and granted them complete immunity to formulate and execute a plan against terrorists.

"We had many options but chose the one that would cause maximum damage to terrorist camps without harming innocents in Pakistan," Singh said, adding that with precision strikes, Indian forces targeted Pakistan-based terror outfits, eliminating over 100 terrorists, including members of Lashkar-e-Taiba. He further stated that the entire operation was completed within 22 minutes.

From 'Lahore bus journey' to 'Balakot strike'

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India always begins by extending a hand of friendship, but it is equally prepared to twist the wrist of any country that betrays its trust, underscoring both India’s commitment to peace and its readiness to respond firmly to hostility.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "We once spoke the language of the 'Lahore bus journey,' but Pakistan did not understand that; we now respond with the 'Balakot strike'." Emphasising India’s consistent approach, he added, "India wants friendly relations with Pakistan and other countries, and successive governments have made efforts in this regard."

On peace push he said, "Our government has made numerous efforts to establish peace with Pakistan. But later, through the 2016 surgical strike, the 2019 Balakot air strike, and the 2025 Operation Sindoor, we adopted a different path to ensure peace. The stand of the Narendra Modi government is clear, talks and terror cannot go together."

The April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians, marked one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir in recent years. The attack prompted swift retaliation from India, culminating in Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The strikes were hailed by the government as a demonstration of India’s military resolve and technological self-reliance.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that Operation Sindoor met “100% of its objectives,” underscoring India’s “new normal” of striking deep inside Pakistani territory to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries. The BJP and its allies have credited the operation for showcasing India’s indigenous defence platforms while asserting that it reinforced Modi’s policy of zero tolerance for terrorism.

'Govt forgot to mention how terrorists entered Kashmir': Congress

Congress MP and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Gaurav Gogoi, in a scathing attack on the government’s handling of the aftermath of April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, accusing it of evading key questions and failing to deliver justice even after 100 days.

Criticising the government's narrative post-Article 370 abrogation, Gogoi remarked, “What kind of arrangement is this in the Kashmir valley, that despite the revocation of Article 370, the terror remains?”

He alleged a deeper motive behind the attack, calling it part of “Pakistan's plan, to cause religious rift within India.” He added, “What was the motive of the terrorists in Pahalgam? To destabilise the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, to cause instability in India and to trigger a war between India and Pakistan.”

Calling the government “buzdil” (cowardly), Gogoi said it had shifted blame to tour operators instead of taking responsibility. “The truth should be revealed on Operation Sindoor, the Pahalgam attack and India’s foreign policy,” he asserted.

Four-day conflict and ceasefire dynamics

In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling and limited air incursions, sparking a four-day conflict. According to Indian officials, the hostilities ended after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) reached out to his Indian counterpart to request a ceasefire.

Indian security sources claim that several Pakistani air bases and terror facilities suffered significant damage during the strikes, significantly degrading their operational capacity.

Trump’s mediation claims stir political row

Amid these developments, US President Donald Trump repeatedly cited his claimed role in brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, saying his success gave him confidence to mediate other conflicts such as the ongoing Thailand-Cambodia border clashes. Trump boasted of using trade leverage to press Islamabad into talks, linking it to his approach in Southeast Asia.

India has firmly rejected Trump’s assertions, with senior officials clarifying that no third-party mediation occurred and that the ceasefire followed a direct outreach from Pakistan. Nonetheless, Trump’s repeated claims have sparked political controversy at home, with the Opposition seizing on them to question the government’s diplomatic handling of the situation.

Opposition’s criticism: Intelligence lapses and diplomatic messaging

The Opposition, led by Congress, has framed its attacks on two fronts: alleged intelligence failures preceding the Pahalgam attack and Trump’s “mediation” narrative undermining India’s position globally.

Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly claimed that India failed to rally international support post-Operation Sindoor and accused the Modi government of enabling foreign leaders to mischaracterise India’s diplomatic stance.

Shashi Tharoor’s divergent stance adds to political churn

Complicating matters further, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who led a multi-party delegation abroad to explain India’s position after the strikes, has drawn internal criticism for remarks seen as softening the Opposition’s tone. Tharoor’s public statements, diverging from Congress’s combative approach, prompted party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to accuse him indirectly of prioritising “Modi first, country later.”

In response, Tharoor posted a cryptic note on X, saying: “Don’t ask permission to fly. The wings are yours. And the sky belongs to no one.” His stance has deepened divisions within Congress over how to engage with the government’s national security narrative.